MADISON – If you go back to Nolan Davenport’s sophomore highlight tape, you’ll see a much lighter version of the Wisconsin Badgers recruit lined up at tight end.
The first clip shows the Massillon, Ohio, native easily getting behind the defense and making an 18-yard grab that he turns into a 34-yard touchdown reception. He reached the end zone untouched.
From one play you could have thought Davenport was a high school version of Travis Kelce. The truth was that he was a physical blocker who would have to wait a year to really get his chance to shine thanks to a position change and a historic run by his high school team.
That switch led to him landing a spot in the Badgers’ 2025 recruiting class.
Today Davenport is a 6-foot-6, 280-pound tackle who gave Wisconsin an oral commitment Friday. He is one of 17 known commitments UW has for its 2025 class and one of four offensive linemen.
His rise has been remarkable for a player who had only a few high school snaps here and there on the offensive line until his junior season.
The decision turned out to be a win for Davenport and his team.
With Davenport at left tackle, Massillon, Paul Brown’s alma mater and the school where the Hall of Fame coach spent nine years as head coach, won its first state championship since 1970.
“It was obvious to us long term and especially college-wise tackle was going to be his best position,” Massillon coach Nate Moore said. “Going into last season we wanted to move him to tackle. It worked out for us, but it was also a good move for him long term.”
Here is what to know about one of Wisconsin’s latest recruits:
Nolan Davenport is a four-star prospect
Davenport is considered a four-star prospect by On3 and a three-star recruit by Rivals and 247sports. He announced 15 Division I offers since the end of the high school season and had…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/move-tight-end-tackle-boosted-110321903.html
Author : Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Publish date : 2024-06-13 11:03:21
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